PENNY HEYNS, who won South Africa's first Olympic title for 44 years on Sunday, collected a second gold with a hard-fought win in the 200 metres breaststroke early this morning. Heyns survived a fierce challenge from 14-year-old American Amanda Beard, as she had done in the 100 breaststroke final. But again it was a close-run thing.

Heyns, the fastest qualifier from the morning's heats, took the lead from the start and seemed to have everything her own way as she led Australian world champion Samantha Riley by more than a second at the halfway point of the 200. She had stretched her lead to a body length when they turned for the last length but then Beard summoned her energy for a desperate chase for gold.

Heyns just hung on to win in two minutes 25.41 seconds, inside the Olympic mark of 2:26.63 she set yesterday morning. Beard surged home for her second silver in 2:25.75 and 14-year-old Agnes Kovaes of Hungary snatched the bronze in 2:26.57.

Riley, who took the 100 bronze, had to settle for fourth place in 2:27.91. "It was an amazing two races. In the 100 I managed to get away, but I was pushed all the way tonight," Heyns said.

Japan's Kyoko lwasaki and China's Lin Li, gold and silver medalists at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when Iwasaki was just 14, failed to make the final.

The South African produced a storming swim in the heats of the 100 to shave 0.44 seconds off her own previous world record of one minute 7.46 seconds.

Later in the evening she won South Africa their first gold medal since Joan Harrison triumphed in the 100 metres backstroke at the age of 15 at the 1952 Helsinki Games.